BALTIMORE
Hospital workers take to the streets
By Sharon Black
Ceci
Baltimore
On Jan. 31 workers represented by Service Employees/1199E
Health and Hospital union staged a one-day strike at
Baltimore-area hospitals, including Johns Hopkins, Sinai and
Greater Baltimore Medical Center. As part of the day's
activities, workers and supporters rallied in a downtown park
across from Mercy Hospital.
Over 1,000 workers then took to Baltimore's streets,
chanting and waving to onlookers. The group marched from Sara
toga and St. Paul streets to the Inner Harbor, where buses
waited to pick up the workers.
Andre Powell, an organizer for the All-People's Congress,
said: "This is one of the largest union activities in recent
history and the largest march held in downtown Baltimore. It is
an inspiration to all low-paid workers fighting for their
rights."
Members of the APC, a citywide activist group, were among
the supporters who turned out. Others included the Student
Labor Action Committee, a student-based group at Johns Hopkins
University, and other AFL-CIO unions.
Brian Howard, an organizer for 1199E, stated: "What happens
to the hospital workers has a direct impact on everyone because
one out of every five workers in Baltimore is a health-care
worker. If we win, everyone wins."
Wages at Johns Hopkins are at poverty level for many
workers. Some are paid as little as $7.52 an hour.
Management has refused to budge on its offer to the workers,
according to 1199 representatives. The bosses have offered only
a 2-percent wage increase, no pension increase and higher costs
for health care.
Many workers said the action was a tremendous success. "This
was the biggest march we ever held," one proclaimed. "This has
to show the bosses that we mean business," said another.
The workers continued to sing, "We are the union, the
mighty, mighty union" as they boarded their buses.
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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